Category: Plague - Dan Fiorella: Writer @ large

Dan Fiorella

Barely Home Companion - Life After Graduation (Apr. 2003)

4/8/2022

From 1999 to 2004-ish, I was one of the contributing writers for Garrison Keillor's renowned radio show "A Prairie Home Companion." I learned a lot of things there, mostly how to spell 'prairie." It was a solid gig and I'm proud of my work there. But, like any other job, there were...things...

This is an unusual piece. It was a prose bit I had written for my college Humor magazine, the Plague. I think the show was at a college that week that must have prompted me to pull this out. Obviously, I adapted it for the show, but I didn't even bother to make the HOST character Keillor, so I'm thinking I tried to submit it elsewhere, as a sketch. Based on that and the typos, it really seems like a half-hearted submission. Didn't get picked. Anyway, it's not a bad bit, I remember it coming about the time I was getting ready to graduate and comparing the feeling to Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' theory on death and dying. Apt, I thought. We'll see if you agree...

Life After Graduation

Barely Home Companion - College Activities (Mar. 2003)

3/18/2022

From 1999 to 2004-ish, I was one of the contributing writers for Garrison Keillor's renowned radio show "A Prairie Home Companion." I learned a lot of things there, mostly how to spell 'prairie." It was a solid gig and I'm proud of my work there. But, like any other job, there were...things...

PHC was back on the road, stopping off at Bemidji State University, because college kids love 30 year old radio shows. Anyway, what could be more natural for a college than college humor? This sketch is a real piece of work; a piece from here and a piece from there... The premise of a college calendar was lifted from my days on the college humor magazine. As was the idea of bogus frat names. I have jokes in here from those issues. I came up with some new things, worked in the actual names of college buildings and played up the kegger thing as a running gag until it fell exhausted to the curb. But the skit didn't make the grade. Oh, well.

College Activities

R.I.P. John Rawlins.

1/13/2022

I received some sad news recently. John Rawlins, an old college buddy and frequent co-writer, passed away last month. They posted his obituary here.

When I transferred to NYU for my junior year of college, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do...or rather admit to myself what I wanted to do. I wanted to write. But in my neighborhood writing wasn't considered a valid career. I went to the student advisor, to try to figure out what I needed to do to get to write. He really didn't have much to tell me, but he did pull out a flyer advertising a meeting looking to form a new student organization, a college humor magazine, and said maybe I should check it out. I did. And with that, I had found my college tribe. I've written about the Plague before. It really was a important time for me.

Memories of the Plague Again

11/15/2019

So, I'm strolling around the internet and what do I stumble upon?

The Plague Archive

What, I'm sure you're asking, is the Plague Archive? Well, let's pull the FAQ from the page itself...

This is the digital archive of The Plague Magazine (1977 - present). Every issue in this archive is available to hold and read in person at Elmer Holmes Bobst library (RG39.32) to anyone who wants to open a Special Collections Research Account there.

Email us if you've found an omission in the archive, have a question, or want to say hello!

The archive was digitized in 2018 by Doron Rasis, with help from Janet Bunde, Althea Meer, Maya Prashanth, April Hathcock, the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department of Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, and Smooth Solutions, Inc.

Copyright (c) The Plague

They're all there! The issues I worked on until I graduated. The issues I worked on after I graduated because I didn't have boundaries or the ability to realize my time was done. The anniversary issue I allowed myself to contribute to after I whined to the editor about it. It's all here. They even have issue #5, which surprised me because I "borrowed" the office copy of that issue to make copies and never got around to returning it. But there it is. Phew. I'm going to have to take screen caps and replace the various scans I made of my Plague material on the blog.

Thanks to the people who digitized this nonsense and put it out there, because I live in the past, so this is exciting. And yes, I did contact them, because they missed a mini-issue we put out.

Merry Plague-mas!

12/7/2018

We set the dial on the Way Back Machine way, way back! This bit is from my college humor magazine, The Plague, circ. 1979. I don't know if college magazines generally did Christmas themed issues, but we did and I jumped all over it. If the graphics look very much like a regular newspaper ad from the day, there's a reason for that. I worked my way through college at K-Mart (R.I.P.) and I was friendly with the woman who laid out the ads did for the local paper. She let me go through her discarded company "clip art" and I was able to grab a bunch of it (enough for 2 future bits in The Plague). Oh, the frustrations I worked out in this 2-pager, mocking the store and it's cheapest, both in prices and employee benefits, with a mix of store graphics and typewriter inserts (since we didn't have the budget for graphic lettering; and that would have been a pain to do that lettering one letter at a time!). And, as I mention elsewhere on the blog, I was able to pitch this bit to Cracked magazine in 2000. Comedy life lesson: Never throw anything away!

If you liked this bit, you'll love my book, Lost Claus, the story of a tough PI and an elf who have to save Christmas. It's over at Amazon. Buy a copy today! I'll be glad you did.

Cavemart Christmas Ad - The Plague at NYU

Cracked look Backed - #342, Mar. '00

2/27/2012

#342, Mar. '00

the Recycled issue!

Never throw anything out. I pitched my old Plague article to Cracked and guess what? They bought it!!! Weird. I played with the name and added some things, as did the editors, but it came out pretty good.

Memories of The Plague: Spring 2003

1/2/2012

So, there I was, minding my own business when 25 years later The Plague contacts me about submitting something to their anniversary issue. Imagine that! And they actually kept the "NYU's Only Intentionally Funny Publication" tagline.

Issue 62 is here...

...And, no, I don't know what this cover is about either.

It was interesting. They had a party. The founding editor, Howard, showed up. I met the new guys. It was nice. A fitting farewell. Until they call me for the 50th anniversary...

Memories of The Plague: Fall 1980

1/1/2012

My final issue (for awhile) with a cover that I just don't understand. It was probably just time to go.

See issue #12 here.

Memories of The Plague: Odds & Ends

1/1/2012

You Hadda be There 3/80

Memories of The Plague: Spring 1980

12/22/2011

My favorite cover. It's mine. I conceived it. I had all the statues and comic stuff. I had to borrow my brother-in-law's 35 mm camera to take it. Then one of the co-editors added the Plague-centric stuff and we turned it into a cover. Needless to say, we were doing the Sgt. Pepper cover. Or maybe I needed to say that.

See issue #11 here...

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